The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.
In exploration drilling such as mineral exploration drilling, there is a need obtain representative samples for analysis to determine the geology of the earth formation being drilled.
The current practice when performing exploration drilling such as mineral exploration drilling is to send samples obtained during the course of drilling (e.g. core samples obtained from diamond drilling) to a laboratory (which is usually located remotely from the drilling site) for analysis. This usually results in a significant delay between the time that the samples are obtained and the time that the results of the analysis of the samples by the laboratory become available. The delay can be in the order of weeks or months. The delay in obtaining the analysis means that there is minimal, if any, feedback available for use in making decisions while drilling.
In an effort to reduce the aforementioned delay, field-based, semi-mobile laboratories that are situated at or close to the drilling site are sometimes employed. However, such laboratories are very expensive to establish at site, and are usually only used for very advanced exploration projects and during production.
Another option for reducing the delay is to use down-hole geochemical probes, the functionality of which is currently being investigated by various research groups. However, the technology is in its infancy and has not reached the maturity necessary for widespread implementation. Additionally, certain limitations to their use limit the effectiveness and application of geochemical probes.
A further option to reduce the delay is to employ core scanning using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and/or hyperspectral techniques.
Additionally, there have been proposals to use drilling cuttings as a source of analysis to determine the geology of the earth formation that is being drilled. In this way, the drilling cuttings would constitute a continuous stream of sample material representative of the geological formation being drilled. Such proposals may be implemented by way of in-stream analysers of the type disclosed in International patent publications WO2009101265A1 and WO2011007053A1, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,026.
While the drilling cuttings constitute material representative of the geological formation being drilled, it is necessary that the drilling cuttings be prepared to provide appropriate samples for analysis and to conduct the analysis. This requires that various functions be performed in the field at or in close proximity to the drilling site.
Related to this is the issue that any technique involving (near) real-time, depth integrated geochemical analysis currently used in mineral exploration and resource delineation is limited in its capability by a number of factors, one primarily being that the sample material is presented for testing in a raw form without being properly prepared for presentation in an appropriate condition for testing and analysis. By way of example, the raw sample material is typically a mass of particles of varying grain size, with the mass being wet to varying degrees and unconstrained in form so as to lack uniformity in shape for presentation for testing and analysis. In particular, there is minimal to no sample preparation, no comminution, and no active drying.
As a result of the above factors, the quality of data is sub-standard and cannot reliably be used at the low-level sensitivity required for exploration drilling.
It is against this background, and the problems and disadvantages associated therewith, that the present invention has been developed.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art mentioned above, or to provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.